A lot of people are now spending all their time at home, not being able to go to the gym or do their usual outdoor workouts. But that doesn’t mean you cannot do fitness activities or other healthy practices anymore. Google says there has been an all-time high of search inquiries for things like “exercise”, “hand washing” and other health and wellness related terms. With their various tools and apps, you can have your own wellness program even if you’re just indoors.
YouTube has a whole campaign of Stay Home #WithMe videos by some of their top creators and there are several curated playlists for those who want to be healthier. You have things like “Meditate With Me”, “Exercise With Me” or “Dance With Me”. If you’re looking for specific apps that can help you with your workouts or mindfulness practices, Google Play is highlighting these with a collection of deals and free content. There is a Workout & Wellness collection as well as a “Mindfulness & Meditation” set.
If you have Android TV, you will also be able to see a collection called “Stay mindful & fit” so you can easily add apps to your smart TV like Peloton, Dance Fitness with Jessica, K Yoga, etc. If you have your smart displays and even just your smartphone, you can also ask Google Assistant to help you out by saying “Hey Google, show me workout videos”. It will launch a YouTube tutorial that you can watch and then follow.
The latest Google Fit update now brings bolder text and brighter visuals so it would be easier for you to see and keep up with your workouts and fitness goals. The app will also give you tips from the World Health Organization to reduce the risk of catching the coronavirus. For Wear OS devices, they have updated visuals for the Heart Points tile to reflect The Who-recommended amount of physical activity. You also now have a Workout tile that you can tap to start tracking your workout.
And since hand washing is a pretty important part of this fight against COVID-19, just say “Hey Google, help me wash my hands” and you will get a song on your Smart Display, smart speaker, smartphone, or Wear OS smartwatch to guide you into the recommended 40-second habit. You can also just start your 40-second timer on your Wear OS device as we told you yesterday.
